Sunil Dowarkasing, a former senior environmental adviser to the Mauritian govermnment has accused the country’s current administration of gross negligence in its handing of the MV Wakashio oil disaster.
Efforts were further increased on Monday to empty the stranded Japanese vessel of 2,500 tonnes of oil before it worsens the level of pollution already caused. But Sunil Dowarkasing, a former Mauritian MP, is unimpressed.
Pressure is continuing to mount on the government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to explain why it didn’t take immediate action to avert the environmental disaster.
There are concerns that the vessel could break up and greatly worsen the situation. More than 1,000 tonnes of fuel has aready washed up on the island nation’s eastern coast.
Daveena Aubeeluck Bauluck, co-owner of the Scuba World Diving Centre in Mahébourg, says members of the public have been flocking to help:
This morning I received an urgent call for help from @FffMauritius
”We are a small tropical island with limited resources. Please can you help us? We need special equipments to remove the oil from our coasts and sea.”
Here’s a crowdfund they recommend:https://t.co/rccyWkuAtM pic.twitter.com/XqKCWPpQUX
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) August 10, 2020
Although the ship ran aground on July 25, Sunil Dowarkasing said work to remove the oil it was carrying only started last week when the hull cracked and started emptying the fuel into the sea around Mauritius’ south east coast.
Envrionmental activisit Greta Thunberg tweeted to highlight the fundraising efforts by Mauritius’ branch of Fridays For Future.
